WASHINGTON, D.C. — The dreary, damp weather gave Robert DeGise cause for worry as he prepared to sound his bugle at the national Marine Corps monument.

He was shivering. Doubt crept into the back of his mind. Could he sound the notes clearly? Would he properly honor his comrades who perished in a brutal battle toward the end of World War II that claimed more than 6,000 American lives and wounded more than three times that number?

But DeGise, 88, shouldn’t have worried. And while every note wasn’t perfect, the emotion carried through for the more than 150 people gathered before the monument which immortalizes the flag-raising on Iwo Jima. And it was one of the highlights of the trip for more than 85 veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam who were flown out to the nation’s capital for a whirlwind tour of several memorials by the Greater Peoria Honor Flight hub.

“I am proud and grateful to have had this chance to come here and honor the fallen from Iwo Jima,” he said, then added, “It brought tears to my eyes.”

It was a day the veterans will not soon forget. They braved 40-degree weather and near-constant rain to gather and remember. They were warmly welcomed by fellow veterans and a 5-year-old girl who came to the airport with her grandparents to meet the “old soldiers.”

Many awoke at 3 a.m. Tuesday to begin their journey by meeting up at Peoria’s airport by 4:30 a.m. They flew nearly two hours to get to Washington and then waited for an hour as the tour buses mistakenly went to the wrong airport. But no one complained.

Eugene Maurer served on the destroyer USS Moffit during World War II. He was excited to see the World War II memorial not just for himself but for his brother, who was killed while serving with the Army in Italy.

His grandson, Bryson Slutz, said he was honored to be sitting next to his grandfather and all the others on the plane.

“To see them go through the hell of war and then come back and put on civilian clothes, it’s a testament to the strength of their character,” he said.

Alvin “Bud” Rose of West Peoria was thrilled to make the flight to Washington with his daughter, Melissa Wineland. He’d never been to the nation’s capital.

Rose served with the Navy in World War II on a yard oiler in the South Pacific. He wanted to join the Marines like his older brother, but he said, “My mother jerked my shoulder out of the socket to get me out of the recruiter’s office.” She consented to him serving in the Navy, though.

Page 2 of 3 - When the Korean War began, he got back into the service, this time as a Marine.

“They weren’t taking people with less than six months left, but I had six months right on the button. The word came down that they needed a barber for a general, so they sent me over,” he said.

That general turned out to be none other than the legendary Chesty Puller.

Ron Anthony of Peoria served in Vietnam and came home in 1969, a time when soldiers weren’t greeted with open arms at the airport.

“We had the name-calling, the spitting, and on and on,” said the Army veteran. “It was total disrespect.”

“After serving overseas and then coming home, you thought that you were home, but it wasn’t that way.”

But on Tuesday, adorned in a cream T-shirt and a maroon cap, he was all smiles. There was no name-calling or spitting. Just plenty of handshakes.

“Even though it is 45 years later, it is well worth the wait,” Anthony said. “I am doing this in honor of all my comrades who didn’t make it home.”

When offered a spot on the Honor Flight recently, DeGise said yes, and vowed to play taps on his bugle. He practiced for months and admits he was just a bit nervous. That magnified Tuesday afternoon when he approached the Iwo Jim memorial, bugle under his arm. He looked at it and his lips trembled. He gave the bugle a test toot, wet his lips and walked back into the crowd.

After he was introduced, he strode toward the memorial, saluted, and then the mournful sounds of taps took over. No one spoke. No one moved. It lasted only about a minute, but more than a few peopled wiped their eyes.

Afterward, DeGise, a former Caterpillar Inc. employee and Bradley professor, trembled with emotion. He saluted again and then proclaimed to anyone within earshot that he did the best he could. He was hugged and lauded for his efforts. A few children from another tour came up to him and shook his hand.

DeGise was 18 years old when the Fifth Marine Division went ashore on the small volcanic island of Iwo Jima. It is considered part of Japan, and the soldiers were willing to fight to the last man to prevent the Americans from seizing the island. The battle lasted about a month. Thousands were killed. Even more were wounded, and DeGise almost died at least twice.

Once, an incoming mortar round struck near his foxhole, burying him and others. He was pulled out by his legs and was being given last rites by a priest when he woke up. That, he said, was terrifying. But while on a stretcher near the beach, he was able to look up and see the flag flying on Mount Suribachi. He didn’t see the five Marines and one Navy corpsman raise the flag like depicted at the memorial, but seeing the flag flapping in the breeze gave him a thrill.

Page 3 of 3 - “I saw that and thought, ‘They did it. The boys took Mount Suribachi,’” he recalled.

He was taken off the island but asked to be reunited with his unit just days later.

He came home, married, and worked at Caterpillar and Bradley before finally retiring. He had turned down previous offers to go on the Honor Flight, but this time was different. This time he wanted to honor his friends.

And by the cheers, the hugs and the smiles, he did just that.

Andy Kravetz can be reached at 686-3283 or akravetz@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @andykravetz.